


Up To The Test

by StellarLibraryLady



Series: Stellar Flash Fiction [13]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Beginning Friendship, Career Change, Empathy, Extending Oneself, Food, Friendship, M/M, Picnics, Understanding, beginning relationship, ennui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 06:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10961853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellarLibraryLady/pseuds/StellarLibraryLady
Summary: Absorbed with ennui over his own nondescript life, McCoy is taught how to overcome it by the one person seeming least likely to do so.





	Up To The Test

He really ought to tell Jim, McCoy thought as he considered his options. Maybe it was because it was so close to his anniversary. Maybe it was because he figured those muscle twinges were the first signs of arthritis. Maybe he was going through some sort of dissatisfaction with his life. Everyone went through that sort of thing, he supposed. Why in the hell, though, did he have to take a turn so frequently?

With a sigh he shut down his computer and stood.

“Busy evening, Doctor?”

“I’m tired. I think I’ll just skip dinner and make an early night of it.”

Chapel smiled, but he could tell her mind was really on her own plans. How could he blame her? She had finally found someone interested in her.

That made all the difference, McCoy thought as he walked toward the turbo lift. Having someone interested in only you kick-started your life and made the world seem brand new. Wonder what that would be like, he smirked.

“Is there something humorous that I missed, Doctor?”

“Oh. Spock,” McCoy said as he snapped out of it. “How long have you been here?”

“I got on the turbo lift with you, Doctor.”

“Oh. Sorry. I guess I’m preoccupied.”

“That is what I assumed, so I refrained from speaking. Then your smile made me reconsider.”

“I can’t imagine why I was smiling.”

“Oh? A problem?”

“I’m thinking that it may be time to leave Starfleet.”

Spock frowned. “Really? That is quite a decision, Doctor. One that cannot be entered lightly.”

“I know. That’s the problem. Do I leave everything I know for an unknown future, or do I stay with stale security?”

“That is never easy to decide, Doctor.”

The turbo lift stopped.

“I know. Look, ah, thanks for listening. And, I’d, ah, appreciate it if you didn’t mention our little chat to anyone, especially Jim.”

“Of course, Doctor.” Spock turned and left.

McCoy stared after Spock’s departing figure. He couldn’t imagine that he’d shared his concerns so easily with a slight acquaintance instead of Jim. 

Maybe some things were easier to share with virtual strangers. They didn’t have a personal interest in him. But Spock? The emotionless Spock? The alien had no empathy. How could he possibly realize what McCoy was going through?

 

McCoy had been listless, though, and lacked the energy to go to bed early. He stared at the book he held, but the story held no interest for him. If he had the heart to be concerned, this ennui would be driving him to distraction. Instead, he sighed often and considered all the bleak days ahead.

He heard a knock on his door and wondered who it could be. He knew it wasn’t Kirk. The popular captain was probably tucked in some lovely yeoman’s bed at the moment. Kirk could always find a party somewhere. He wasn’t missing McCoy any.

The door opened, and Spock walked in.

McCoy frowned. “Spock? Why are you here?”

“I noticed that you were not at dinner, and I brought you some nourishment.”

That gesture almost heartened McCoy. “That was kind of you.”

Spock passed the container to McCoy. “It is only yogurt and berries with wheat crackers to eat with it.”

“I’m sure it will be delicious.” Then McCoy remembered his manners. “Sit. Sit down.”

Spock looked noncommittal.

“Please.”

Spock sat.

They stared at each other.

“Eat,” Spock urged. “Please.”

“I will later. It’s impolite to eat while you aren’t.”

“I brought some for myself,” Spock said as he produced another container.

McCoy felt almost enthusiastic. “Well, we’ll just have us a little picnic. What do you think of that?”

“I do not have first-hand knowledge of picnics. On Vulcan, we did not transport quantities of food outside simply for the purpose of eating it. We would have seen no reason for putting ourselves to that extra labor.”

“It’s for the purpose of doing something different. Thereby, it makes it special. Just like you and me having our little picnic now is special.”

“It is special, Doctor. I appreciate learning about traditions that are not my own.”

“Picnics are something that Earthlings do. I don’t know if it’s unique to our culture, or if the practice is found elsewhere throughout the universe.”

“That might be interesting to learn about, would it not?”

McCoy shrugged. “I suppose.” He almost smacked his lips. “This yogurt is delicious tonight. Did you notice that?”

Spock chose his words carefully so he would not be lying. “I notice that there is a certain depth to the flavor of the fruit. I wonder how fruits got to tasting differently from each other?”

“That’s like the variety of food we’ve got. So many choices. So many flavors. How did they get to be so different?”

“That is yet another thing to learn about. So many topics would be interesting to explore, it would be impossible to study everything that piques our curiosity. Time is limited.”

“I never thought about it that way, but you’re right. How could a person choose?” McCoy was absently scooping yogurt into his mouth with the wheat crackers and getting crumbs everywhere. He didn’t care. This interesting conversation was more important.

“I propose that we explore the world of food flavors. I believe that we will make many interesting discoveries. Perhaps we could even try preparing various foods.”

McCoy grinned. “And making our friends our food tasters?”

Spock felt a warmth. He had come close to leaving the Enterprise because he felt so out of place here. Kirk was friendly, but Spock did not feel special to anybody. 

And then he had discovered this doctor who seemed more melancholy than himself. He generally wasn’t daring, but now he was glad he had reached out. McCoy seemed to personify hesitancy and self-doubt as much as Spock did.

Any subject would have sufficed to push them out of their doldrums. They just had needed a start.

“I believe that our friends will be up to the test, Doctor.”

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing of Star Trek, its characters, and/or its story lines.


End file.
